


Stress Relief

by JayDiamond001



Category: We Bare Bears (Cartoon)
Genre: Anxiety, Fluff, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Heath, Nom Nom is a jerk but still cares, Ship, Stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 18,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27187084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayDiamond001/pseuds/JayDiamond001
Summary: As soon as Nom Nom returns from vacation he is bombarded with his fans. With the risk of his stress getting out of hand, Nom Nom has no choice but to stay with Grizz off the grid in the forest. While there he may come to realize things not only about himself but about those around him.
Relationships: Grizz/Nom Nom (We Bare Bears)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

Nom Nom yawned and stretched as he watched his staff members make the last preparations. His mandatory relaxation at the Eucalyptus Relaxation Center was over and he did feel much more relaxed overall. 

"Oh man that place was great! I never felt so relaxed in my life!" Nom Nom winced as he heard the voice of Grizz exiting the building and joining him outside. 

"Me neither..." the koala groaned, he was in no mood for the loud bear's antics. It was a miracle he was able to relax at all with him around. But it wasn't over yet. They had to take one of his private jets back to his manor where he would be all too happy to be rid of the grizzly bear for a long while. Soon everything was in order for the celebrity koala and his bear companion to climb aboard and get ready to head back to their respective homes in San Francisco. The flight back itself was unbearable for the poor koala doing his best to ignore the loud ramblings of the large bear sitting next to him. The earmuffs from his number one bodyguard Farmer did nothing to help either. 

"Hey, uh Grizz? You think you could dial the noise down a bit?" Nom Nom asked the bear with a strained patient smile. 

"Oh, my bad. Am I being too loud? I get it. I'll just..." Grizz rambled on self consciously, deciding instead to just look out of the window. 

Nom Nom gave a contented sigh and relaxed in his seat. He didn't expect it to be so easy, but he didn't complain about either. 

The rest of the flight went with Grizz keeping quiet and Nom Nom even managing to get a nap in. 

"Nom Nom, sir. We've arrived..." the faithful bodyguard said quietly. The koala stirred and awoke to look out the window and indeed see that he was home. 

"Great! I can't wait to—" As he looked around he noticed that the seat that Grizz was occupying was now empty. 

"Where'd the bear go?" Nom Nom asked. 

"Oh, he's outside waiting for you," his bodyguard responded. 

Nom Nom gave another sigh and snapped his paw to be lowered on the ground. "Get my bags out of there," he instructed and walked towards Grizz. 

"Hey, Nom Nom." Grizz greeted, taking extra care to stay quiet and not annoying his smaller friend. 

"Great, I think I got jet-lag from the flight. Carry me inside...please?" Nom Nom grunted. Grizz was more than happy to carefully lift the koala up and carry him past the entrance gates and entered the manor. Nom Nom hopped from the bear's arms and stretched. 

"It sure does feel good to be back," Nom Nom groaned and finished stretching. 

"So do you have somewhere to be or..?" Nom Nom asked, looking up at Grizz. He didn't want to just tell him to get out, but he hoped the grizzly would take the hint.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I should get back to my bros. It was fun at that relaxation place. Thanks for inviting me there. Uh, bye." Grizz waved and walked back to the entrance doors. As soon as he did he heard the loud cheering of many people outside. The bear jumped back in surprise and quickly shut the doors. 

"What is that?" Nom Nom asked, moving Grizz to the side and opening the door to see for himself. Just as before the noise sounded. Outside was a massive crowd of people cheering and screaming outside.

"There he is!" a lady wearing a Nom Nom t-shirt yelled. 

"Nom Nom's back," a male voice yelled. 

"What is this..." Nom Nom groaned. 

"I guess they missed you," Grizz chuckled. "It has been a while."

Nom Nom slammed the door shut and pointed at Grizz. 

"You! You have to stay here and protect me!" Nom Nom demanded. 

"But don't you have bodyguards?" Grizz asked. 

"Yeah and he's stuck out there with all of them!" Nom Nom pointed out, raising his voice. 

"I don't know. It doesn't seem too bad out there," Grizz said, lifting a corner of a curtain to peak outside. 

"Yeah for now. But I'm telling you that it's going to get much worse pretty soon!" Nom Nom fretted. 

"Alright, I got you." Grizz agreed. The koala breathed a sigh of relief that someone was there to protect him from the rabid fans outside. Then there was a loud noise and the sound of glass crashing to the floor. Both he and Grizz knew what that meant. Looking to the window that Grizz had just peaked out of was a mass of grabbing hands that reached their way through the broken window. 

"Oh, man!" Grizz gasped. One hand managed to reach the entrance doorknob and began to open it. Grizz scooped Nom Nom up and began to run. 

"What do we do now?" Grizz asked the koala as he bolted in the opposite direction. 

"Head out the back door. It has a secluded exit. They'll never see us!" Nom Nom instructed. 

The grizzly bear and koala managed to escape from the mob of crazed fans with their lives. But now they were faced with the problem of not knowing what to do next.


	2. Chapter 2

Panda and Ice Bear were sitting on the couch watching a documentary about volcanoes. The tv displayed an old footage of a volcano smoking. 

"This is making me panic," Panda whined, clutching onto the pillow he was holding. 

"Ice Bear isn't afraid of lava," Ice Bear challenged. 

"I'm not too sure about that," Panda smiled a bit, feeling better from Ice Bear's comment. 

The relative peace in the cave was quickly broken upon Grizz almost kicking the door from the hinges with Nom Nom firmly held in his paws. He gently set the koala down and proceeded to lock the door along with covering any nearby windows with curtains.

"Grizz? What the heck are you doing?!" Panda asked his eldest brother. He got up from the couch to see Grizz frantically closing window curtains. "Uh? What are you doing? And what's he doing here?" the panda asked, referring to the koala.

"You guys..." Grizz panted. "You guys. We have to hide Nom Nom!" Grizz said frantically. Without explaining any further Grizz rushed to the curtains and took a quick peak between them, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. 

“Whew. I think we lost them," Grizz let out a sigh of relief. 

“Grizz what is going on? Again, why are you doing any of this?" Panda demanded, pointing at the front door and curtains. 

“Look, bros. The truth is that Nom Nom needs our help. He has a stress condition and his fans are—" while Grizz was explaining the situation the koala stepped away and walked over to the tv. He scoffed at the sight of the living room. The TV was almost completely useless and the couch was clearly made of cheap material. The whole cave was the exact opposite of what he was accustomed to back at the mansion. But there was no way he would go back there. And there was no way he was going to watch this boring documentary. 

Sitting on the couch and picking up the remote, he flipped through a couple of channels. Of course they were all the most basic that you could get. He found a breaking news report and hoped it was something interesting at the least. 

“Fans are still on the hunt for Nom Nom: the internet sensation. He was last seen returning from his private vacation and it was not long before fans were crowding outside the property to welcome the star home. But things soon got out of hand when the fans got out of hand and began to storm the property. The whereabouts of Nom Nom is unknown and a full on investigation is taking place. In other news it seems that a new internet sensation is quickly climbing the charts. A puppy that sounds like a kitten. Now that’s what I would call talent. Back to you, Chet." the reporter finished. 

“He has to stay here. If those people got a hold of him they’re gonna tear him limb from limb," Grizz pleaded. 

“I don’t know, Grizz." Panda pondered. 

“Ice Bear isn’t sure, either." Ice Bear said. 

“Come on, bros. It’ll be just for the night," Grizz said, hoping that would be convincing enough. 

“A week," Nom Nom spoke up. 

“Huh?" Grizz and Panda asked in confusion to the koala once again making his presence known. 

“I’m staying a week," Nom Nom turned off the TV and hopped off the couch. “If they want to abandon me for some puppy then that’s just fine with me. I’m sick of them anyway!" the koala ranted, walking towards the three bears. 

“I gave so many years of my life to pleasing them. They have no idea how stressful it is to be cute day in and day out. But I take one vacation and they all lose their minds. I almost died because of them!" Nom Nom yelled, throwing the remote to the ground. 

Ice Bear and Panda looked on in pure shock. Neither of them had no idea how to react to this or what to do. 

Grizz quickly picked up the screaming koala and held him close to his chest until he calmed down and fell limp. Grizz put him down and Nom Nom, feeling embarrassed by others being witness, smoothed his ruffled fur. “I’m, uh, sorry about all that." Nom Nom apologized, crossing his arms. He really wasn’t but he needed a place to stay. 

“Okay, Grizz. We’ll let him stay. But he is purely your responsibility. If he breaks anything, it’s all on you," Panda explained firmly with Ice Bear nodding behind him.

“Alright," Grizz agreed. He looked to the Nom Nom who looked back up at him, in that moment Grizz felt what he was sure was some kind of protection over the koala. He knew there was going to be sometimes he would have to vouch for him. But he was Nom Nom’s friend and support animal. This is what he has to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Grizz sighed to himself, Nom Nom had finally settled down and was watching some kind of reality dating show. All that mattered to him was that he wasn’t getting angry or trying to break something again. 

“Hey, Nom Nom. My bros and I are thinking about having chinese tonight. You up for it?" Grizz offered. 

“Ugh. I guess," Nom Nom huffed. Usually he would chinese himself, but he knew that it would be ordered from some place cheap. “Just order me something that doesn’t have meat in it. Oh, and some vegetables, too.” 

“Alright!" Grizz responded, disappearing around the corner again. He figured it was best to just let Nom Nom watch the show and do the ordering himself. 

“So does he want any?" Panda asked as Grizz returned to the kitchen. 

“Yeah, something without meat and make sure it has vegetables," Grizz repeated. 

“Whatever that means," Panda mumbled to himself as he pulled up a takeout app on his phone. Within a few minutes the bears had placed their orders. Grizz decided that rice and stir fried vegetables were the best thing for Nom Nom. He just hoped that he would like it. 

In about 30 more minutes the food arrived. Ice Bear and Panda retrieved their food and began to eat. Grizz picked up Nom Nom’s box and walked back to the living room, hoping the koala would like it. 

“Hey, uh. Nom Nom the food came back. Here," Grizz said, handing Nom Nom the take out box. 

“Oh. Uh…Thanks," Nom Nom mumbled. He checked the food and seemed to be satisfied enough with it. “It’s…good enough.” 

”Great," the grizzly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back into the kitchen to eat with his bros. 

“Did he like it?" Panda asked. 

“Yeah, I think he does." Grizz nodded. 

“Ice Bear is relieved," Ice Bear added. 

The three bears ate their food and chatted among one another. Nom Nom stepped into the kitchen to put the box in the trash. Each of the bears stopped and watched him. He hopped and dropped the box in the trash can. He turned to the other bear and felt their eyes drilling into him, usually he wouldn’t mind it. Being a celebrity you become used to a bunch of eyes on you at any given time, but still their staring made him feel uncomfortable. 

“What?" Nom Nom asked the bears. 

“Nothing," they responded, going back to their food. 

Nom Nom exhaled in annoyance and returned to his show. 

Not too long the bears also finished up and went their own separate ways for the rest of the day. Grizz decided to sit with Nom Nom while he watched his show. He sat on the opposite side of the couch, but didn’t say anything. Nom Nom looked over in surprise and groaned, expecting Grizz to start talking up a storm, but he didn’t. The usually obnoxious bear was just sitting on the couch and looking at the TV, even though it was certainly out of the ordinary Nom Nom wasn’t going to complain about it. 

The two of them sat in silence and watched the dating show. After about 3 episodes Grizz started to follow along with what was going on and even started to make his own pairings and his own opinions of the cast. 

He had no idea what time it was, but he knew it was certainly late. An indicator of such was a yawn from the small koala. 

“It’s getting kind of late…Do you wanna..?" Grizz asked gently. 

“Sure, I need my beauty sleep anyway," Nom Nom shrugged, turning the TV off. 

”You can sleep in my room. I’ll sleep on the couch," Grizz offered. 

“Sure, why not?" Nom Nom agreed. He followed the bear to the bedroom. Grizz opened the door and turned on the light. 

“I know it’s probably not what you’re used to, but I hope it’s comfortable at least," Grizz said gently. 

Nom Nom stepped into the room and nearly let out a gasp. In the room were wrappers and other papers scattered among the floor here and there. On one of the drawers sat an empty bag of potato chips. Next to it a few cans and bottles. 

It’s a free room, just deal with it. 

“It’ll do," Nom Nom said, straining to be polite. “But in the morning could you clean it up a bit?”

“Oh sure! Of course. I wasn’t really expecting company and…This will all be gone tomorrow," Grizz assured the koala. 

“Good," Nom Nom responded, waving a paw in the air. He stepped in the room and closed the door. He grumbled to himself, kicking trash out of his path. Making his way to the bed he jumped up and climbed on. He gave a sigh of relief that at least the bed was neatly made. The koala pulled back the blanket and squirmed underneath. The bed was comfortable enough, but a new problem presented itself. Grizz’s scent clung heavily to the pillow, the blanket, and the mattress as well. Nom Nom felt that he should be disgusted, but instead the scent forced him to think about the grizzly. How nice he was, how soft his fur is…and…Nom Nom broke away from those thoughts, thinking he must be losing his mind. But the scent and thoughts of Grizz brought him a calm that helped him drift off to sleep in the end.


	4. Chapter 4

Nom Nom shivered and hugged the patchy blanket around him. The sky above him was pitch black, the only light above him came from the street lamp a few feet from the alley’s entrance. As he let out a shaky breath the vapor of his breath could be clearly seen. The brick wall he leaned against did little to help him conserve heat. His whole body was shuddering and he only felt the freezing bite sinking deeper and deeper into his bones. 

Nom Nom began to think about how he got to this point. He remembered a time when he would sleep like a baby every night in a warm bed that was 50 times his size. A time when he was adored by everyone, when mile-long lines of people would gather whenever he would make an appearance. What happened to those days of signing autographs and waves of fans being barred away by security. And what happened to him…that bear whose hug he so desperately needed? Nom Nom wasn’t exactly sure why or how, but he knew that Grizz was gone. He had no idea where the loud, annoying bear was, he just knew he wasn’t here now and wouldn’t be anymore. 

He was all alone, hungry, freezing and forgotten…

The koala thrashed in the bed and sprung up gasping for breath. Nom Nom took a moment to calm himself and check his surroundings. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was in the bear’s cave. The first thing was to question himself on what just happened to him. Nom Nom tried to reassure himself that it was just a dream, but it felt so real. 

A knock at the door gave him what felt like another heart attack. “Is everything alright in here? I heard some noise—”

Nom Nom sighed in relief at the realization that it was just Grizz. “No, it was just…a dream.”

“Was it a bad dream?" Grizz asked in a caring tone that made Nom Nom want to just hide his face in the blankets. He couldn’t understand how the grizzly could be so caring towards him. 

“It doesn’t matter, I’m fine now”, Nom Nom said quickly. 

“Oh, okay then.” Grizz said slowly closing the door. 

“Wait!" Nom Nom called after him. Grizzly froze in place and looked at the koala, who had crawled to the end of the bed. 

“C-could you still stay here? Just for a little bit”, Nom Nom mumbled, feeling his face growing hot. 

“Sure”, Grizz nodded. 

Nom Nom returned to the bed with Grizz shuffling beside him. Usually Nom Nom would have never wanted Grizz so close, let alone in a bed. But everything felt completely different, he actually felt safe and comforted just having Grizz next to him. 

“I um. I had a nightmare about losing my fame. I was alone and cold and hungry.." Nom Nom admitted, not knowing why he was just telling the bear everything. “And I couldn’t find you.” He realized what he said and felt a pit in his stomach. 

“You were homeless and looking for me?" Grizz asked. He was still pretty tired, but still did his best to understand and help Nom Nom.

”Y-yeah”, Nom Nom nodded. “But it’s good now. It was just a dumb dream. Let’s just go to sleep.”

Nom Nom didn’t get a response, rather he got the sound of Grizz’s breathing. Nom Nom breathed a sigh of relief that the bear had fallen asleep so quickly. He was saying too much. 

He felt the comfort and warmth for Grizz and yawned. He turned to the side and pressed closer to Grizz and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

As the sun's light beamed through the curtains, Nom Nom roused from his sleep. As he yawned and stretched the events of the night prior replayed and he realized that Grizz was no longer in his place. No only that but all the trash and junk littered all around the room was gone too. Nom Nom blinked and rubbed his eyes, hoping that it wasn't just a dream. Sure enough, the room was now decently clean. The koala crawled out of bed and left the bedroom, satisfied that his request was fulfilled.

Almost immediately a good smell caught the koala's attention. He followed the scent to the kitchen where he found Ice Bear cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Nom Nom padded up to the polar bear and looked up at him. He had no idea if Ice Bear even noticed him until the polar bear gave him a slight glance.

"Hey...Morning," Nom Nom greeted awkwardly, not knowing how to really engage casually. It didn't help that Ice Bear outright ignored Nom Nom's attempt. "I know you can hear me." Ice Bear simply flicked his ear, as if Nom Nom's words were just an annoyance.

"Look, I know that things between me and you guys aren't the best...But things are a little tough for me right now and I'm not really sure what I should do. Ugh, what I'm trying to say is I think we should...I want to start over," Nom Nom said, getting more and more frustrated as Ice Bear gave no signs that he was listening. "Ugh, nevermind."

"Hey, Nom Nom." The koala turned to see Grizz entering the kitchen.

"I see you cleaned up," Nom Nom stated, crossing his arms. "The room looks much better now. Thanks or whatever..."

"Yeah, I thought it would be better to just let you sleep," Grizz chuckled. "I'm glad that you like it."

Nom Nom felt a bit light in the chest when Grizz said that to him. But the koala pushed those thoughts away quickly.

"I'm gonna go wake up Panda. Be right back," Grizz gave Nom Nom a thumbs up and walked back towards the bedrooms.

That left Nom Nom alone with Ice Bear once again. The polar bear stepped away from the stove and opened a cabinet, grabbing some plates. He set 3 of them on the table and gave Nom Nom a quick glance before grabbing a forth one. Turning to the stove he scooped up 3 omelets and placed them on separate plates. Nom Nom looked in confusion and watched as Ice Bear scooped up a separate omelet that looked different from the rest.

A few minutes went by and soon everyone sat around the kitchen table. The bear gathered around their breakfast, even Panda who had a special vegan omelet made just for him. 

"Alright, guys. I think it's about time we dig in," Grizz beamed. The other bears agreed and started their breakfast. 

Nom Nom watched as the bears all started to eat their omelets. He watched as Grizz dug into the meal with his bare paws. Ice Bear instead ate his omelet with a for and knife, something the koala deeply appreciated. Panda lifted his phone and took a quick picture of himself before finally eating. That left Nom Nom to partake in the meal in front of him. He saw everything one else enjoying the food, but he still had doubts of his own. But he was hungry and it seemed harmless enough, he even began to think it probably tasted pretty good. 

He cut off a corner of the omelet and stuck his fork into it. He picked up the piece and shakily brought it close to his mouth. He took a bite and began to chew it. The three bears stopped in their motions to watch to see how Nom Nom would react. 

The koala noticed the other bears staring at him and he began to feel a bit uncomfortable. 

"So? How was it?" Grizz asked. 

"Be honest. Ice Bear can take it," the polar bear challenged. 

"Okay, honestly. I wish my cooks could make something like this," Nom Nom huffed, cutting another piece of the omelet. "It's...amazing." It was a response none of the bears at the table expected. Grizz and Panda blinked in surprise as Nom Nom continued eating. Ice Bear slightly smiled, never expecting the koala to give him anything close to a compliment.


	6. Chapter 6

"You ready bros?" Grizz asked the other bears. 

"Yeah, I think so." Panda said, checking himself to make sure he had everything, namely his phone. Ice Bear simply nodded as confirmation. Thanks to the breakfast they had that morning the pantry, fridge and cabinets took a hit. 

"Hey, Nom Nom!" Grizz called to the koala who returned to the living room couch. Said koala could be heard letting out annoyed groans along with the thump of him hopping off the couch. He peeked around the corner to see what the grizzly wanted. "You wanna come with us?" Grizz asked innocently. The koala scoffed. 

"Are you nuts?" Nom Nom asked. "The moment I step out there I'll be swarmed. I can't risk it," the koala said more in disappointment than anger. 

"Oh. Alright. Then just stay here. We won't be gone too long," Grizz said, realizing how much of a bad idea it was. 

Nom Nom nodded and returned to his spot on the couch. Grizz sighed and opened the door.

Nom Nom watched the TV and flicked his ear from the sound of the front door closing. He sighed in contentment that the annoying bears were finally out of the house. At this moment he desired nothing but peace and quiet. The show that was currently on TV did nothing but bore Nom Nom. He picked up the remote and started to once again flip through channels. Each new channel looked as boring or annoying as the last. He landed on one of the local new stations and the headline immediately caught his attention. 

'THE NOM NOM HUNT' spelled in big bold letters sat in the corner of the screen. Nom Nom turned the volume up on the report, hoping that it wasn't as bad as he was thinking it was. 

"It is pandemonium out here! The fans have decided to take things into their own hands. I'm here downtown as the hunt for Nom Nom begins!" the reporter eagerly said, with cheering and chanting people wearing t-shirts and other accessories of the koala's face plastered all over them. "Sir, what do you have to say about the hunt?" She tipped her microphone towards a big burly man sporting a Nom Nom t-shirt. 

"We won't rest until we find Nom Nom! I just know he's out there somewhere. Nom Nom if you're listening, know that we will find you and bring you back where you belong!" The man spoke passionately. 

"The last known whereabouts of the world's favorite koala are eye witnesses claiming that he was grabbed and taken out of his own home by a large unidentified assailant. Now people have gathered from far and wide as they believe Nom Nom is in trouble. We will keep you updated as the search continues. Back to you, Chet."

Nom Nom muted the TV and hopped off the couch, taking deep breaths. Now there's a manhunt for me? People think I'm kidnapped? They're crazy! Nom Nom imagined a massive hoard of crazed fans pouring in from every door, every window. Surrounding him on every angle, reaching for him. Grabbing at him. With no escape. 

Nom Nom's legs buckled and he reached his arm out to the couch, holding himself up. He felt lightheaded, but he was hyperventilating and felt on edge. He felt the urge to run, but he had no idea where. He heard a noise that caused him to look frantically back and forth. Was it one of them? Have they found him? Nom Nom bolted for Grizz's bedroom. He hurriedly searched for a place to hide, sure that someone was here to snatch him up at any moment. 

"Hey, Nom Nom! We're back!" Grizz called as he and his brothers walked into the kitchen, holding their newly caught grocery bags. "Nom Nom?" Grizz left his two brothers in the kitchen to search for the koala, hoping that he wasn't taken while they were away. He searched the living room and the hallway. There he noticed that the door to his bedroom was slightly open. 

Grizz carefully peeked in, expecting to come face to face with the intruder/kidnapper. But instead the room was just as it was before, except for a pair of small grey legs that stuck out from underneath the blanket. Grizz smiled at the realization that Nom Nom was just hiding in the room. "Uh, Nom Nom it's only me. We're back from the store."

Nom Nom quickly scrambled from underneath the bed and cleared his throat. "Oh, of course it is." The koala looked down at the floor in embarrassment that he was seen acting like some scared kid, hiding under a bed of all places. "I was just...uh..."

"It's alright. I get it. I was worried that you were gone," Grizz admitted. "I don't know what I would have done if..." Grizz stopped in his tracks once he looked down at the light blush on Nom Nom's face. 

"Well, everything's fine now. Thanks for checking anyways," Nom Nom said quickly, walking past the bear to the living room. 

Grizz didn't see it, but Nom Nom frowned and scoffed to himself. Why was he acting like this? Like some kind of cub? If that wasn't bad enough the grizzly had to go and say those...things. Nom Nom sat back on the couch and gave a sigh. As he flipped through the channels once again he found himself wanting to know what Grizz was going to say, even though he had a good idea.


	7. Chapter 7

Grizz was starting to worry as he sat on the couch, watching TV. Nom Nom hadn’t come out of his bedroom for hours. The grizzly wanted to check on him, but at the same time he wanted to give the koala some space. He thought about his interactions with Nom Nom before. It seemed that Nom Nom’s attitude was different than before. He was still a bit snappy sometimes, but it seemed that Nom Nom was, in a sense, more chill. More polite and a bit more calm…sometimes. 

He considered getting up from the couch and going to see Nom Nom. Sure he wasn’t the most outgoing or even the friendliest of animals. But Nom Nom told Grizz himself that he was his friend. That he…loved him. And as his friend, Grizz felt that he needed to help Nom Nom out of whatever was troubling him. 

Grizz stood up from the couch and took a deep breath. _Come on, Grizz. You can do this. Be the friend that Nom Nom needs you to be._ As bravely that he could, Grizz strode over to the bedroom and knocked slowly on the door. 

“Hey, Nom? You alright in there?" Grizz asked gently. On the other side of the door, Nom Nom jumped in surprise. 

“Uh, uh, yeah. I’m just fine!" Nom Nom called. 

“You mind if I come in?" Grizz asked. Nom Nom gasped and hid his phone underneath the pillow. 

“Y-yeah! Come in!" Nom Nom called. Grizzly opened the door and stepped in with a gentle smile on his face. 

“You alright in here, buddy?" Grizz asked, sitting down on the bed next to the koala. 

“Uh, yeah. I’m alright," Nom Nom sniffed and wiped an eye. Grizz turned to him in concern, “Hey, Nom Nom? Are you sure you’re alright?” 

Nom Nom just nodded his head and cleared his throat.He didn’t want the bear to put him in a state like this. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” He laid back on the bed and clutched a pillow, putting it over his embarrassed face, revealing the hidden phone underneath. 

“Hey, what’s this?" Grizz asked curiously. He picked up the phone and looked on the text across the screen. Nom Nom noticed that Grizz wasn’t saying anything anymore. He peeked from behind the pillow and nearly screamed at what he saw: Grizz scrolling through the messages on his account. 

“Nom…This is crazy…” It was all the Grizz could say at such a thing. He was looking at Nom Nom’s social media account that had over 700 direct messages. Some of them were positive and few of them were supportive, but a good number of them were strange, creepy and were clearly threats. 

“All I want to do is take some time for myself. And how do my ‘fans’ thank me? By sending me all these horrible things," Nom Nom muttered. 

“Well, they're not all bad like that. Like…Oh, here’s a pretty nice message from a guy named Farmer," Grizz put on a smile, drawing attention to the message. 

“Yeah, he works for me. It’s kind of expected," Nom Nom sighed, sitting up. “I’m just….Just not really sure what I should do anymore.”

“Hey, you said that Farmer guy works for you. What about everyone else who works for you? The cooks, the bodyguards, what about the mansion itself?" Grizz asked.

“Eh, I sent them all off for the week. As for the mansion and everything in it, it’s all insured," the koala shrugged. 

“Do you miss any of them, your staff I mean?" the bear continued. 

“Grizz, I barely know any of their names," the koala chuckled dryly. He took a deep breath and turned to Grizz. “You know, Grizz. I’m kinda glad to be here right now. Even that vacation wasn’t enough to bring my stress back to normal. But this fame is all I’ve ever known. I don’t know what to do besides this. I don’t know how to do anything besides this.”

Grizz leaned a bit closer and gave Nom Nom a sign that he was ready to listen if the koala wanted him to. Nom Nom continued on, “It’s kinda funny, the thing I wanted to do will probably end up killing me. Heh. I know that it looks all amazing and glamorous on TV, but in reality every morning I’m just swarmed by all these people I don’t even know. All they ever want is an autograph or an interview and even then it’s about my latest project rather than anything about me..”

“...Eventually I’ll have to go back out there and put on another smile for them," Nom Nom groaned. 

“Are any of those fans friends?" Grizz dared to ask. 

“Friends? Friends?" Nom Nom snickered. “It’s either another photoshoot or it’s filming. I don’t really have the time for friends. I can’t make friends, they’ll only end up distracting me.”

“Oh…" Grizz said dejectedly. "So I guess that means we’re aren’t friends then?” 

“Well, Grizz, you’re different. I mean, we’re friends. But the only reason we’re ‘hanging out’ in the first place is because I’m dodging my career. The truth is my fame and our friendship can’t exist at the same time.” Nom Nom turned to see the utter look of defeat on Grizz’s face and he instantly felt bad about what he said, but he couldn’t let the naïve bear get his hopes up for a friendship that would never develop.

Suddenly, Grizz perked up as he remembered something. “While we were out I managed to get some eucalyptus leaves. I know they’re probably not the kind that you usually help, but I…”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks, Grizz," the koala cut off. 

“Uh, is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" Grizz asked. 

“I don’t think so, I think I’ll just sit in here for a little while longer," Nom Nom shook his head and laid back on the bed. 

Grizz just left him to it and closed the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Grizz and Nom Nom sat on the couch once again watching reality TV. Grizz was very invested in the plot of the episode while Nom Nom had seen the episode before. He didn’t see a point in spoiling the episode for the bear, so he sat mostly in silence scrolling through the feed on his phone. 

“Hey, Grizz. We’re gonna go off to that opening!" Panda called from the front door. 

“Okay!" Grizz called back. 

“You sure you don’t want to go with us?" Panda called back. The show cut to commercials so Grizz stood up to meet with his brothers. 

“No, I’m good here. Besides, there’s always a chance someone’s gonna come here looking for Nom Nom," Grizz cautioned. 

“Yeah. Sure," Ice Bear shrugged. 

“Alright, fine. We’ll be back later," Panda chuckled, he and Ice Bear left Grizz out the door. 

“Hey, Grizz. It’s back on!" Nom Nom called. Grizz turned and ran back, not wanting to miss a single minute of it. Grizz rushed back in and plopped back down on the couch. The sudden drop of weight startled Nom Nom. He looked at Grizz for a second then went back to the words scrolled across his phone’s screen. 

“Did I miss anything?" Grizz asked, watching the TV intently. 

“Uh, I wasn’t really paying attention. Sorry," Nom Nom shrugged. Grizz glanced at the koala for a second and noticed that something seemed to be bothering him. Even though the show was interesting, he wanted to help Nom Nom. 

“Something bothering you?" Grizz asked, turning to the frowning koala. Nom Nom lowered his phone and gave a groan. 

“No, Grizz. I’m fine," Nom Nom put his phone down and began tapping the arm of the couch with a claw. 

“You sure? I’m only asking because I want to help. Even after what you said last night, I still want to be your friend. And friends help friends," Grizz started to ramble on when Nom Nom raised his paw and pointed at the TV. Grizz looked at the screen that was now playing a commercial for paper towels. 

“What about it?" Grizz asked curiously. On the TV was an ad consisting of a lady advertising paper towels.

“You see that smile on the lady’s face? I know that smile, I’ve probably put it on more than a million times. And each time it was just for the camera," Nom Nom explained. “At the start of my career it was easy to smile. But later down the line with more cameras in my face… Constant filming…The fame, the mansion, and even despite the money…I found it harder and harder to smile and mean it. Now everything just makes me so annoyed now…" Nom Nom admitted, staring up at the ceiling. 

Grizz did not say anything in response, but nodded his head to let the koala know he was listening. 

“And even though this job is killing me…I don’t think I’m gonna stop. I’ll just keep waking up every morning with a migraine, facing bright lights, putting on fake smiles for the paparazzi," Nom Nom paused, took a deep breath and continued. “I should have figured that this would have happened, after all anything that isn’t a smile has to be buried deep down. It only makes sense that all this anger is coming back for me…I just never thought it would kill me…I don’t even know how long I’m gonna be able to hide like this…" Nom Nom groaned. The koala’s ear twitched in anticipation for Grizz to say something, maybe something overly positive or just plain silly. But no, the grizzly bear just remained silent. 

“You alright, Grizz?" Nom Nom dared to ask. The next thing that the koala knew he was scooped up from his position on the couch and pulled into one of Grizz’s soft hugs. Nom Nom had no idea what to do at first, but found himself pressing close to the bear’s warm soft body. 

“Dude, why didn’t you tell me sooner?" Grizz asked, still holding onto Nom Nom. “I would have helped you out a long time ago.”

_But why? You have no reason to…_ Nom Nom stopped and began to think back to all the times he was rude or angry towards Grizz; all the terrible things he said to the bear. 

_And despite all of that, Grizz still wants to help me?_

Nom Nom looked up at Grizz, who said nothing and pulled him in closer. Nom Nom let Grizz hold him tight, pressing his face into the soft fur and spread his arms wide to hug the bear back. Nom Nom realized that it was just him and Grizz in the cave. He realized that there was no reason for him to act anymore. Grizz held onto Nom Nom gently, his ear twitched when he heard a strange sound. He opened his eyes and looked around for the source. He heard the sound again, looked down and realized that Nom Nom was crying. 

“Nom? Are you alright?" Grizz asked softly. 

“Yeah," Nom Nom sniffed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” Grizz put Nom Nom down and the koala quickly wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Uh, thanks Grizz." Nom Nom said sheepishly. He glanced up at the grizzly and felt a strange feeling looking up at him again. Nom Nom climbed on the couch and cleared his throat. Grizz sat down beside him and smiled. Nom Nom felt an embarrassing blush creeping across his face.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, it's all right. I get it," Grizz sympathized. "You can stay here as long as you need to."

"I...I can?" Nom Nom sniffed, turning away to wipe an eye. 

"Yeah, man. I know our place isn't that big or anything. But maybe we could clear out the shed. Turn it into your own private pad," Grizz found the idea amusing and chuckled. But next to him, the koala had an image in his head based on what Grizz told him. 

Nom Nom saw himself holed up in an empty shed. In the dark, with no one around, not even Grizz. All alone. 

"No!" Grizz jumped from Nom Nom's sudden outburst. 

"Whoa, whoa. You don't have to if you don't want to," Grizz reeled back, raising his paws defensively. 

Nom Nom stopped, took a deep breath and looked up to Grizz. "..Sorry about that. It might be nice, but I don't really want to be left alone. If that makes any sense." Deep down what he really meant was that he didn't want to be there without Grizz, but he was glad that the unaware bear nodded anyways. 

"Yeah, I get it." Grizz replied, but he felt bad. He felt that he was the cause of the koala's outburst. He took this as a lesson to be more careful about what he says to Nom Nom beforehand. 

"I'm gonna...get more leaves," Nom Nom mumbled, hopping off the couch and heading towards Grizz's bedroom. Grizz stayed put on the couch, watching the koala trudge back to the room. Even though Nom Nom said he was sorry, Grizz still felt bad about what he said. 

Behind the closed door, Nom Nom took a moment to pause. He ran his paws against his face and gave a frustrated groan. He climbed on top of the bed, hoping that it would calm him down. But of course it didn't. The next thing he knew, he was pacing back and forth on top of the soft bed. All the while his chest was pounding, he was a bit scared that something may be wrong with him. Was this finally it for him? What all the stress finally catching up to take him out?

Nom Nom clutched his chest, beginning to hyperventilate and panic. He began attempting a way to calm himself down. He tried thinking of things that he liked; his mansion, his awards, and the great tree that stood in the heart of his home. But those things hardly did anything to steady himself and slow the pace of his heart. Nom Nom laid down on the bed and placed his head on the pillow, hoping that would do the trick. 

While he settled onto the pillow, Nom Nom picked up on something. It was the pillow itself. It had Grizz's strong scent all over it. For a moment Nom Nom lost awareness of his actions, when he was brought back to reality the pillow was pressed against his face and his arms were wrapped around it tight. 

Nom Nom gasped and threw the pillow back on the bed. He looked at the pillow and felt a bit disgusted and embarrassed at himself. But at the very least, he did feel a lot better. The pounding of his chest was dulled and his breathing eased. 

Nom Nom hopped off the bed and was about to head back out of the bedroom. He peeked through the slight view from the slightly open door. He watched as Grizz watched TV all alone. Even though Grizz was paying attention to the screen, it was obvious from the look on the grizzly's face that what happened earlier still bothered him. And seeing that expression made Nom Nom feel bad himself. Instead of thinking of a way to make himself feel better, Nom Nom was trying to figure out a way to make Grizz feel better instead. 

Nom Nom thought about Grizz's smile and felt that fluttery feeling deep in his stomach once again. Not only that but he felt very warm as well. Nom Nom stepped away from the bedroom door, confused and a little concerned about the things he was feeling. They were feelings that he couldn't figure out and that fact alone made him worried.


	10. Chapter 10

Nom Nom woke up early the next morning. That feeling from last night still clung to him. He couldn't explain why, but the koala felt pretty chipper that morning. The daylight outside signaled to him that it was late in the morning, the sun had already risen. That's when the smell of breakfast hit his nose. It smelled amazing, just as it had the day before. 

He arrived in the kitchen to see the bears already eating their breakfast. "Hey, Nom Nom!" Grizz greeted. "I was just about to wake you up."

"That's okay..." Nom Nom dismissed. He wondered if Grizz was still thinking about what he said last night. Even thinking about it again made Nom Nom feel bad. "Uh, what are we eating?"

The bears were taken off guard by this question and looked to one another. 

"Ice Bear made toffee pancakes," the polar bear explained. "Made some for Nom Nom."

The koala's ears wiggled in excitement, he never had something like that before and it sounded pretty good, too. But he still played it cool, found his spot at the table and met with the stack of still-warm pancakes on a plate in front of him. He took a cautious bite of it and blinked in delight. "Whoa. This is good!" All three of the bears smiled at the warm comment. 

As time went on during Nom Nom's hiding the koala grew more and more comfortable and even a bit friendlier with the three bears. Before Grizz and Nom Nom knew it they had finished the TV show they watched together and actively searched for a new one to fill the spot. Panda had even convinced Nom Nom to watch an anime with him. 

"So is he the one who killed the alpaca or...?" Nom Nom asked Panda while they watched.

"Naw, I think that's just what they want us to think," Panda thought aloud. 

A few days later Nom Nom watched Ice Bear cooking dinner. It was like magic in motion. The koala was completely enamored by the polar bear's movements. Ice Bear even let him taste test a cake he made. Ice Bear never heard Nom Nom gush about anything, it caught him off guard but he was happy to hear it anywhere. 

Nom Nom found Panda struggling on a dating site and couldn't bear the sight of it anymore. He stepped in and gave the panda bear some celebrity tips and pointers on how to beef up his profile and even what to do if they agree on what to do if Panda gets an invite to meet. 

But of all the bears in the house, Nom Nom grew closest to Grizz. They had found a new show to watch, they laughed at it, got mad over it and sometimes even cried about it. The two had made an agreement to share the bedroom but Grizz laid on the floor, leaving Nom Nom on the bed. 

On a warm day Grizz and Nom Nom were done watching the latest episode of their show and began to flip through channels once again. It was an annoying thing to do, but they had so much fun watching TV together that even after the show was over, they didn't want to just stop there. 

They stopped on a new channel with the headline of NOM NOM FANS OUTRAGED. The reporter lady said something about Nom Nom's fans going into a frenzy, leaving no stone unturned until they find their idol who abandoned them. 

Grizz looked over at Nom Nom and prepared to say some consoling and encouraging words. But Nom Nom simply picked up the remote and switched the channel. 

"Uh, Nom—" Grizz was about to ask if he was okay, but the koala quickly cut him off.

"It's alright, Grizz. I don't really care about...that anymore. Let's just watch this instead," Nom Nom suggested, referring to the movie that was playing on the screen. 

"Oh, okay..." Grizz was worried about Nom Nom still but knew the best way to actually make Nom Nom feel better was to just watch the movie with him.

The movie they watched was an action thriller, it was a movie neither of them ever saw before. About thirty minutes into the movie Grizz reached over, wrapped his paw around the koala and pulled him in close. It took him a few moments to realize just what he had done and he was about to apologize, but to his own surprise Nom Nom said nothing. In fact, he laid closer and even dared to lean against the bear.


	11. Chapter 11

It was late in the night when Grizz and Nom Nom had finished that last movie in the marathon. Both bears big and small were more than tired from it all. Grizz yawned and stretched. He looked down to see Nom Nom dozing off against him. 

"Heh. I think it's about time we turn in for the night," Grizz smiled gently. He moved slightly enough for Nom Nom to wake up a bit. The koala yawned and looked up at the grizzly. 

"Come on," Grizz reached down and gently lifted Nom Nom off the couch. Nom Nom was surprised but was quickly comforted by Grizz's soft and warm embrace. As carefully as he could, Grizz carried the marsupial back to his bedroom and gently set him down on the bed. 

Nom Nom settled into bed and made himself comfortable. But he couldn't help but notice that Grizz was walking out of the bedroom. He watched as the bear slowly walked out of the room and paused to shut the door. 

"Grizz, wait." Nom Nom called over him in a soft voice. 

The grizzly looked back in surprise. He was planning to sleep again on the couch like he always did, but it seemed that the koala wanted to say something. 

"You don't have to...Uh, I mean. I mean that...You can stay in here...with me. I-if you want to," Nom Nom stammered, feeling a dumb blush creep across his face. He felt ridiculous but he couldn't stand it anymore. Even if it was for one night, he just had to have Grizz next to him. He didn't realize it, but Nom Nom was holding his breath in anticipation.

"Um...Okay, if you want me to," Grizz was honestly off put by the koala's sudden request. But he saw the quick look of what seemed to be happiness flash across Nom Nom's face. They reassured him that this was something that Nom Nom wanted. And even if he didn't fully understand it, if it made Nom Nom feel happy then he would do it. 

But Grizz had to admit that the thought of sharing a bed with Nom Nom and getting close to him...It made his heart beat a bit harder and his feet felt lighter. 

Nom Nom awkwardly shuffled to the side as Grizz's comparatively massive body slid on the bed. Grizz took a moment to get himself comfortable while trying to be aware of Nom Nom next to him. He didn't realize how much he missed his bed until now. He was so much more comfortable. 

Grizz looked over to see Nom Nom looking right at him. With a small gasp, Nom Nom quickly broke eye contact.

Nom Nom had no idea what was coming over him. His heart was beating like crazy, his breathing felt shallow and his paws felt ice cold with sweat. And when Grizz turned to look at him, the marsupial felt like he was going to have a legitimate heart attack. 

The two laid on the bed next to one another in complete silence. It was hard for Nom Nom to get any sleep considering he wasn't tired in the least. And even that was a mystery as he could barely keep his eyes open not too long ago. 

Growing more and more frustrated, Nom Nom began to ask himself a myriad of questions. What was he doing? Why did he want Grizz to be next to him so bad? And if he wanted Grizz to be here why couldn't he look at him? 

_What is wrong with me?_

Fighting every fiber in his being, Nom Nom looked at Grizz once again, who was looking opposite of him. Grizz was something of an oddity to the koala. He was a fan of his but he wasn't like those crazies out there hunting for him. Grizz actually seemed to care about what he wanted, if Nom Nom was satisfied or comfortable. He even gave up his own bed. The more Nom Nom thought about the more it confused him. It seemed to Nom Nom that Grizz wasn't doing all of this just because the koala was a celebrity. Seeing the way Panda and Ice Bear interacted with him versus Grizz it was clearly different. The grizzly could even tell when something was bothering him. 

It was like Grizz could see right through him, like he could see right through his image and was looking right into the core of his being. That being hides his true feelings from the entire world. The being that learned to hide his true emotions behind a wide smile. The being that when he was young and all alone clung to his pillow and cried when things got rough. 

And even when he hit it big online everyone saw him as just being cute and only cute. No one thought he had any real substance. But when Grizz looked at him it was different and when he talked to him, he talked to him like an equal. That was something he couldn't wrap his head around, why? Even stranger still, considering the way Nom Nom treated the bear when they first met. And despite all of that he was the one to give him a place to stay when it seemed that Nom Nom’s behavior finally came back for him. Grizz not only saved him, but went out of his way to satisfy the koala's needs. 

It hit Nom Nom that Grizz may be the only person in the entire world whose niceness towards him came from a genuine place. Never once had the grizzly asked him for anything in return for the out-of-the-way things done for him. 

Nom Nom tugged on his ears in frustration and let out a quiet groan. He just couldn't understand it. Why was Grizz so kind to him? Why would he go out of his way to do the things he did for him? And why does thinking about that make him feel so weird inside?

The koala's frustrated thoughts were interrupted by the sudden snoring from the grizzly bear next to him. For some reason, that sound. That loud obnoxious sound calmed him, he yawned and his eyelids felt heavy. Nom Nom laid back on the soft pillow and closed his eyes; but though his body was tired, his mind was still racing trying to figure this all out. 

Grizz grunted in his sleep and turned on his other side, his left arm splaying out over the koala. Nom Nom lifted it off of him and was about to put it back towards Grizz. But he got an idea and it was very tempting. Against his better judgement, Nom Nom shuffled a bit lower and with a moment of hesitation he pressed his body close to Grizz's side. His fur felt soft, his body was warm but his scent wasn't the most pleasant. But oddly enough, that comforted him too. Nom Nom hugged Grizz close and finally felt himself drifting off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The next morning Grizz was late to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at his curtains to see the morning sunlight illuminating the room. He was about to get up, but he felt something clinging to him. He looked over to see Nom Nom pressed close against him.

Feeling the movement, Nom Nom began to stir as well. He opened his eyes and was met with a wall of brown fur. At first was very confused until he remembered what he did the night before. He looked up to see Grizz looking down at him.

"Ah!" Nom Nom cried out in embarrassment. He let go of Grizz, a blush once again appearing. "I-I'm sorry!"

"It's alright," Grizz said gently and smiled at him. Once again that feeling came over Nom Nom. But he wasn't just going to sit around and guess what it all meant anymore.

Grizz got out of bed and stretched. He began to walk towards the door.

"Wait, Grizz. There's something I need to ask you," Nom Nom said carefully.

Grizz was surprised by the koala's words but stopped and turned back to face him. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Why are you doing all of this?" Nom Nom asked.

"What do you mean?" Grizz asked in confusion.

"I mean why are you being so nice to me? And why are you always doing so much for me? I don't get it," Nom Nom admitted.

"Well, when someone's in trouble you help them. That's the right thing to do, isn't it? Plus I have to help out my friends," Grizz answered which caught the koala off guard.

What Grizz said struck a chord with the koala. "Because we're friends?" he repeated. Grizz smiled and nodded.

"It's funny. I have a staff count of over 200 but not a single one of them is my friend. I don't think I've ever had a friend before. Well, before you," Nom Nom admitted.

"Why not?" Grizz asked. "Who wouldn't want to be the friend of someone famous like you?"

"Heh. Well, I wasn't always famous. Believe it or not I was afraid and lonely back then. And even after I found success and was surrounded by millions of fans, I was still lonely. Eventually even my filming became something annoying. Like something I had to do just so I could keep them around," Nom Nom admitted.

"I guess that would make sense," Grizz nodded, sitting back down on the bed.

Nom Nom took a breath and continued. "Everyone always tells me how much they love and adore me. But no one ever really cares. They never ask how I am, they don't know the things I like or my fears. Like I can be more than a smiling face. I guess no one really knows me..." Nom Nom sighed.

"Oh, Nom Nom. I'm sorry," Grizz placed a paw on Nom Nom's shoulder. "That must have been awful. I've always had my brothers whenever I was feeling lonely. But you must have felt so alone."

Grizz's words didn't exactly help, but Nom Nom knew they were certainly true. The relationship Grizz had with his brothers was something he found himself wishing he had.

"It doesn't matter. Because being here is pretty great. Grizz, I just want to say thanks for you know...caring," Nom Nom awkwardly thanked. 

"It's no problem. That's what friends do right?" Grizz gave Nom Nom a smile. 

"Yeah, I guess they do," Nom Nom nodded. He watched Grizz get up and head out to meet the rest of his brothers. Nom Nom stayed behind to think about what the bear told him.

Would he be happier if he had someone like Grizz had his brothers. Maybe. But who would that even be? Grizz already considers him a friend, but Nom Nom just wasn't sure. He didn't feel like much of a friend.

The koala figured that there was no use just laying in bed all day. He jumped out and followed after Grizz, hoping that he could figure this whole friend thing out soon.


	13. Chapter 13

Another week and half went by and Nom Nom was feeling very familiar and comfortable with the bears. At this point both Ice Bear and Panda also enjoyed his company. But of all the relationships in the cave, Nom Nom continued to grow closer and closer to Grizz.

The day in particular went by without any major events. Grizz said that it was a ‘chill’ kind of day and Nom Nom had to agree with that. It was the kind of days that he missed. A month ago not a day went by when he was rushing from studio to photoshoot to interview. From the moment he opened his eyes in the morning to when he closed them a night, it was event after event after event. He never had time to relax or just sit back and do nothing. He never had the time to ‘chill’. 

As weird as it sounded to him, Nom Nom wished that he had more days like this when he was on top. Maybe he wouldn’t have nearly died multiple times. But for now he was grateful to finally chill like he always wanted. 

Grizz reached over and grabbed some popcorn, Nom Nom watched the bear lift it up his mouth and chew it. Small pieces fell in different directions. At first Nom Nom considered the way that the bear ate was completely repulsive, but now he grew very comfortable with it. He had come to realize that the way Grizz ate was an extension of his overall personality. And with time he grew to admire how Grizz could do anything with not a single care about how he looked. Nom Nom wished that he could be more like that. 

Grizz noticed that Nom Nom was staring at him and looked down at him. Instead of looking away in embarrassment like he would before Nom Nom met the bear's gaze and smiled. 

“Do you think the butler did it?" Grizz asked the small mammal, referring to the murder mystery taking place on screen.

”If it isn’t him then it’s definitively the duchess. After they mentioned that her husband’s will gave her the entire estate," Nom Nom surmised. 

“Well, if the butler is the killer he’s gonna have to take out the duchess too," Grizz inferred. 

A thought came to Nom Nom’s mind and he gasped. “What if the butler knows and the two of them did it together?”

“Whoa. You mean one of those secret love affairs?" Grizz gasped as well. It made so much sense. “Like they off the duke so they can have the entire estate and their love?”

“Exactly!" Nom Nom pointed at the smiling bear with a claw. 

With an intense passion to see the flick through to its end, Grizz and Nom Nom’s eyes were glued to the screen, looking for any clues in the background. They also made sure to listen for any incriminating dialogue that would prove their theory correct. The bear’s theory proved to be correct, which delighted the both of them. They watched the final scene, not exactly as they predicted, showing the duchess and former butler no longer hiding their relationship and claiming everything the deceased husband had worked for. 

”I can’t believe we were right!" Grizz exclaimed. 

“That chase scene was intense. When the butler dropped his pen and the detective picked it up I thought he was gonna get caught for sure," Nom Nom gushed. He had watched plenty of movies before in his mansion. But there was something about watching a movie with someone else, someone like Grizz that made the movie so much better to him. 

“Should we watch another? It’s getting kind of late," Grizz thought aloud as the next movie was already auto loading. 

“Eh, one more won’t hurt," Nom Nom shrugged, but on the inside he didn’t want any of it to end. He wanted nothing more than to just sit on the couch with Grizz all night and watch movies till the sun came up. 

Grizz was also more than happy to press play on the next movie that had already been loaded. The two bears sat close and were both hoping that the movie was long one.


	14. Chapter 14

Nom Nom sighed to himself in content as he leaned against Grizz. It was much past midnight, Ice Bear and Panda had been long asleep, and the two were on their third movie. The first was a murder mystery, the second was a futuristic action thriller, and the current one they viewed was a simple romantic. It seemed to be from a much older time, being without color. The main characters dressed in older attire and the setting seemed to be in France, given the french accents of most of the actors. 

Grizz and Nom Nom watched the main characters on screen talking to one another at an outdoor cafe. It was night and there was a lady character wearing a dark coat with fur and a tall man in a suit and brim hat. 

”Sometimes I wonder if this is all a dream?" the lady asked, stirring her coffee slowly. 

“If it is, then it is the best kind," the man on the other side smiled warmly. 

”But why here? Why me?" the lady asked, looking up from her cup.

”Why not here? Why not you?" the man responded placing his hand over hers. “From the moment our eyes met, you had stolen my heart.”

The lady smiled as well and gazed into his eyes. The camera panned out to show the two leaning forward into a kiss.

“Aww, that’s cute…” Grizz said gently. Nom Nom looked over at the bear’s tired yet hopeful eyes. 

“Yeah..” Nom Nom said softly. He was feeling just as tired as Grizz but both of them wanted to see this movie through to its end. 

As the movie continued and the main characters grew ever closer together, Grizz’s paw slipped on top of Nom Nom’s. 

“Oh, sorry." Grizz apologized softly. 

“Oh, no. It’s okay," Nom Nom chuckled. Grizz took a breath and let his paw rest there. Nom Nom felt a gentle warmth spread through him. Grizzly’s paw easily covered his own, despite that it felt soft and warm. Grizz on the other hand was freaking out inwardly, feeling his heart race and hoping the paw over Nom Nom’s wouldn’t get sweaty. He tried to distract himself by focusing on the movie once again. It was a montage moment of the newly founded couple doing things together and building their bond. 

“Grizz. I…I just wanted to say that I like doing things like this…with you I mean," Nom Nom said slowly, trying his best not to panic. 

“I do, too. But I…Well I like doing all things with you," Grizz admitted. “You make things so much fun.”

“I…do?" Nom Nom blinked. He had heard many things about himself. That he was an inspiration, he was a king, but he had never been called fun before. It felt nice to him. 

“Yeah, these movies wouldn’t be nearly as good without you here with me. And the way you help out my brothers. You’re so great," Grizz admitted. “At like, everything.”

Nom Nom felt a blush creeping across his face. “Y-yeah, well. You’re fun too, Grizz. Somehow you make everything exciting. You make the mansion back home seem so boring.”

“Aww, thanks." Grizz beamed. “You know, Nom. I really do like spending time with you and…I…” Grizz suddenly lost his nerve and fought desperately for something more to say to the koala. Suddenly Nom Nom pulled Grizz close with strength that the grizzly didn’t know he had.   
“Um, Nom?" Grizz asked quietly, feeling his heart skip a beat. Nom Nom said nothing, pulling the larger bear closer. The koala slowly cupped the bear’s face. 

“Uh, Grizz. The truth is…That I feel things for you. Things that I’ve never felt before.." Nom Nom said carefully, looking into the larger bear’s eyes. 

“Uh, what does that mean..?" Grizz chuckled, feeling himself starting to sweat. 

Nom Nom, taking what felt like the biggest chance of his life, leaned forward to meet the bear with a kiss. In that moment Grizz’s mind went completely blank. The next thing the bear knew was when he opened his eyes the koala was looking at him with an unreadable expression. 

”I’m sorry..." the koala sighed, turning away. 

“No, no." Grizz soothed and gently placed his paw on Nom Nom’s shoulder. “It’s okay..”

“It’s just I..." Nom Nom’s breathing grew heavy as he realized what he had done. He placed a paw on his chest and realized he was starting to hyperventilate. 

Grizz gasped, seeing the koala take a step back and struggle to breathe. Without another thought in his head he scooped the smaller mammal up and pulled him in close and tight. He felt Nom Nom struggle against his grip and slow his movements. Grizz looked down at him and loosened his grip. 

“Nom? Are you okay?" Grizz asked gently. 

The koala let out a groan and took a deep breath. “…Grizz…I…I’m fine. Thanks…Grizz there’s something I need to say..”

“What is it?" Grizz asked. 

“Maybe it’s the movie or maybe it’s something else….but I think that I love you," Nom Nom whispered, looking away. He expected Grizz to say something but the large bear just remained silent. 

“Haha! I’m so glad you said it! I thought you were gonna say something else…Heh. Nom Nom I…I love you too," Grizz beamed. Nom Nom looked up at the smiling grizzly and felt his heart skip a beat. He was sure that the bear was going to reject him or maybe even worse. 

“Ha! That’s great! That’s amazing! But…what do we do now?" Nom Nom asked. He had seen the romance movies and love plots in shows but the movies and shows usually ended by then. They never really showed what happened after. 

”I…Don’t really know..." Grizz also admitted. “I’m pretty sure if we do love each other then we’ll figure it out.”

“Hmmm. Okay, Grizz. We’ll figure it out..." Nom Nom sighed, feeling happy but nervous at the same time. “Heh. It was already difficult enough to figure out this friend stuff and now I gotta figure out how to be a…boyfriend.”

Grizz said nothing, but continued to hold onto the smaller mammal. Much of the movie had passed while their own events took place. The two quietly watched the rest. Both of their minds were buzzing with questions and some worries about their newly formed relationship. Despite their doubts the belief that things would work themselves out between them was stronger. 

Grizz held Nom Nom a little closer, feeling excitement well up in him that he had a boyfriend. Nom Nom felt the bear’s soft arms wrap around him. They calmed him and made him feel like things would not be too bad. 

It didn’t take the duo long to fall asleep on the couch in each other’s embrace, the rest of the night drifted away as both slipped away into their dreams. When Nom Nom woke up the next morning next to Grizz still fast asleep he smiled and continued to lay next to him. It was the best night of sleep he had in a long time and he was glad he knew the exact reason why. He listened to the bigger mammal’s slow breathing and the steady thumping of his heart. It was at that moment Nom Nom smiled to himself and began to think that this could be his life from now on. It was a thought that was extremely tempting.


	15. Chapter 15

Nom Nom stretched and yawned on the couch, once again alone in the cave. The bears had gone out to get their weekly supplies, leaving the koala by himself. Just life before, Nom Nom was more than happy to stay behind. He was very used to the cave of the bears, admiring how simple yet comfortable everything was. Something about the structure, the furniture, and even the smells in the cave all made the koala think about why the cave seemed so much compared to his bigger and more amazingly decorated mansion. 

Nom Nom stood up from the couch and walked around the place to get a better idea of the question that lingered in his mind.

_I mean…My stuff back home is much better. Much more expensive….My bedroom closet is bigger than their living room. But….Ugh. Why do I like this place more…?_

It was a question that the more he strolled from room to room and the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

He stepped into the kitchen and the image of Ice Bear cooking breakfast entered his mind. He, Panda and Grizz waiting on the kitchen chairs eagerly waiting for what he was making. The koala had to admit that everything the polar bear was sublime, leagues better than anything his chefs back home could have made. It boggled the small mammal’s mind. Everything in the house seemed to more or less pair so well together. Things in the cave were always happening, Something new was always happening. Nom Nom thought about how things were back home. Not much happened there too often and things always stayed the same. Sure it had a lot of stuff, but it wasn’t…lively….at all. 

Nom Nom sighed to himself and plopped back down on the couch. With nothing else to do at the moment, Nom Nom continued to flip from channel to channel. After a while he stumbled upon another news report, that was about him again. Nom Nom groaned to himself in frustration.

“Don’t they have anything better to report?" the koala huffed to himself, yet he continued to watch out of curiosity. 

“It seems that fans of Nom Nom have now changed their tune. Many are giving up on the internet celebrity; claims that he has abandoned his fans. As we can see from this chart our former favorite internet marsupial’s ratings are on a constant plummet. Not only are there feelings of abandonment, but also an echoing cry of anger from the fans as well," the reporter spoke. 

Nom Nom didn’t realize it at first, but he was leaning forward on the couch, focusing on the story presented to him. 

“Here is a rather passionate fan that wants to give a few words, just in case Nom Nom may be out there listening," the reporter leaned her mic towards a large man with a t-shirt of the koala’s face. 

“We are so hurt that our idol, Nom Nom would just up and leave us like this! Us! The ones who gave him everything! We built him up from nothing and got him to where he is today! But I guess he never appreciated us or what we did for him!" the man grunted into the mic. The reporter slid the mic back to herself and continued. 

“The raw passion and fury that these former fans are displaying shows without a shadow of a doubt that Nom Nom might just be over for good. But it doesn’t just end there folks. Oh no. There is a much darker….sinister….and even dangerous side to this story as well. Some of the fans have taken more drastic measures. Social media posts containing disappointment, anger and some even threats aimed at Nom Nom’s many social media accounts. While anger is understandable, we encourage others out there to report any threats you may see as any and all of them should be taken seriously.”

“With all of this going on all over Nom Nom all we can ask is how long until this all boils over and takes a turn for the worst? Wherever Nom Nom may be we hope that he is safe and considering a return to stardom…”

Nom Nom grabbed the remote and turned off the tv. He noticed his breathing was shallow and his heart was pounding in his chest. The koala stumbled off the couch and stood on his feet. Taking deep breaths and placing a paw on his chest, the small mammal attempted to calm himself down. 

Nom Nom slowly took a few steps to steady himself and deeply inhaled, followed by an exhale that was a bit steadier. 

It was clear to the marsupial that TV was a bad idea right about now. Instead, he entered Grizz’s room and sought after his laptop that sat on his bed. Figuring he could watch some of that “anime” stuff panda was talking about, Nom Nom flipped it open and turned it on. Grizz had given him the pin key to get past the lock screen. Nom Nom felt a flutter in his chest as his mind went to Grizz. The grizzly did so much for him, much more than he would have done if Grizz were in his situation. It made Nom Nom want to do something nice for Grizz. Something extra special. Something only Nom Nom could do. But that was impossible without leaving the cave. And after seeing that report he saw this cave not only as a charming place, but a safe haven. Somewhere where he was safe and surrounded by those who he could tell cared about him. What he thought could maybe be the real Nom Nom. The Nom Nom that likes eating toffee for breakfast and who likes watching bad movies. The Nom Nom who caught feelings for a big dumb….wonderful grizzly bear. 

After entering the pin key and waiting for the laptop to load, Nom Nom was met with Grizz’s desktop. It was an image of Grizz hugging Ice Bear and Panda close to his sides. From the background it looked like the image was taken at some kind of festival or maybe amusement park. He saw the stoic expression on Ice Bear’s face, but getting to know the polar bear he could tell that Ice Bear was enjoying himself that day. Panda on the other hand wore a forced smile on his face, Nom Nom could see one of those from a mile away. It was a smile he had made himself countless times. Most likely he was trying to find the perfect facial expression to have, but couldn’t…And in the center was Grizz and that wide carefree smile. Nom Nom couldn’t help but smile as well. 

He drew his attention to the actual placement of the icons on the desktop screen, looking for the browser. Scanning around the desktop, something in particular caught his eye. It was a folder. There was nothing in particular about the folder except for the fact that it was titled “NOM NOM.” Something about it made the koala feel…off. He was tempted to click on it and another part of him thought it was best to just go to the browser and just forget about it. He was about to just move past it until he caved and double clicked on the folder. 

The folder opened to reveal many things at once. Nom Nom scanned the screen up and down, left to right. The contents were various images. All of them seemed to be screenshots and other saved images. He noticed that many images had small words on them. He clicked on one of them, the image enlarged to reveal that it was an image of tour dates from one of his old shows. It was from a while ago, but Nom Nom did remember it well enough. Cycling through other images he saw many things about himself; more dates, screenshots of his posts and even an image of a Nom Nom t-shirt the koala assumed Grizz once thought of buying. But it was something about that t-shirt that struck him. It was the same kind that the crazy man on TV was wearing earlier. 

A pit started to form in Nom Nom’s stomach. His mind began to think about that news report again. How angry those people were and the supposed threats made to him…. His mind began to flash with the distant nightmare he had. All alone with no one. But now his mind added even more possibilities. If was seen out there by one of those crazy people…there was no telling what would happen to him. Would they chase him down, hurt him, kidnap him or maybe even worse? Nom Nom felt his breathing pick up and his chest grow tight once again. He opened his eyes only to be met with the image of the shirt, his past posts and old tour debts and it all just came rushing at him. It all felt like too much…..


	16. Chapter 16

Grizz and his brothers returned from grocery shopping. They had set their haul on the kitchen table and took a moment to relax from the journey there and back. Grizz walked off to find Nom Nom, looking in the living room. Scanning the area, the koala was nowhere to be found. 

“Hey, uh, Grizz. We could use your help putting these things away," Panda called to the grizzly. 

“Oh. Coming!" Grizz took one more look back and returned to the kitchen, aiding Ice Bear and Panda in putting away all the groceries they amassed. It was more than usual as there was a sale going on that both Ice Bear and Grizz were more than eager to take advantage of. The cabinets were pushed shut and all three bears hoped that it would hold and all matter of food items would spring out the moment the doors were opened once again. 

“Heh, you think it’ll hold?" Grizz chuckled nervously. 

“Ice Bear hopes..” the polar bear said with ever so slightest grim tone to his voice. All three bears thought it best to leave the kitchen and allow the cabinets to ‘settle’ with it’s new inventory. 

Ice Bear and Panda plopped on the living room couch, more than happy to just sit back and watch TV. Grizz was a bit worried as Nom Nom wasn’t there. 

_Where could he be?_ , Grizz thought to himself. He took a moment to think about it when it struck him that he told Nom Nom about that anime site. It made sense to him and put his mind at ease. _He’s in there, alright._

Grizz let his brothers relax on the couch as made his way back to the bedrooms. He found his bedroom door slightly open but heard nothing going on inside. Grizz pushed the door open and his breath caught in his throat. 

Grizz’s scream echoed throughout the whole cave, prompting his brothers to rush to the scene. They took a look for themselves and had reactions of their own. On Grizz’s bed lay Nom Nom in a position that did not look good. Grizz rushed over to the koala and gently placed his paw on him. 

“Nom Nom! Nom Nom? Are you alright, buddy?" Grizz uttered with a panic in his voice. The koala gave no response. 

“Is he—?” Panda dared to ask. 

Ice Bear pushed past Panda and stood alongside Grizz. “Stand back.” Grizz did as his brother said and gave him some room. Ice Bear leaned down and placed an ear on the koala’s chest. His ear’s strained as he desperately listened for something. A small thump sounded and Ice Bear breathed a sigh of relief. 

“He is alive," Ice Bear confirmed. 

“Oh, thank goodness. But what happened?" Grizz asked. 

“Ask when he wakes up," Ice Bear suggested. The other bears agreed. Grizz gently lifted Nom Nom and placed him comfortably in the bed. 

Though they were worried, Ice Bear and Panda returned to the living room. Grizz stayed in the room and watched over the koala. 

Some times passed but Grizz remained, watching over Nom Nom. A small groan was heard, Grizz looked over at the koala who began to stir. 

“G-Grizz?" Nom Nom asked shakily. 

“Hey, I’m glad you’re okay," Grizz responded gently. 

“What happened?" Nom Nom asked, looking around him and noticing that he was laying in the bed. 

“I’m not sure. We found you...lying face down on the bed. It didn’t look good…" Grizz admitted. 

“I think I know what happened. My doctor warned me about keeping my stress under control..." Nom Nom grunted, the feeling finally catching up to him. 

“Your doctor? What do you mean?" Grizz leaned in to listen. His heart began to pound and a pit of worry gnawed at his stomach.

Nom Nom took a deep breath and clenched the sheets before continuing. “I...My job demands a lot out of me at all times. It used to be…easy. Just smile and smile some more. Just when I got even more famous it became much more than that. There were filmshoots, interviews and paparazzi. I never knew that you would have to fake a smile so often. Fake being happy so often. I remember one day I passed out after a live interview on the ride back home. My doctor told me that my career was starting to take a toll on my health. That I was under too much stress and too much more would…will kill me, Grizz”

Grizz’s body instantly went numb when he heard that. _He almost died?_ It was the only thought that cycled through Grizz’s mind. He pushed it away and faced the koala. 

“Nom...I’m just glad you’re okay.." Grizz said gently. 

Nom Nom nodded but looked away. He remembered the reason he passed out, but he couldn’t admit it to Grizz. He knew that the grizzly would blame himself. After all, he didn’t blame Grizz for being a fan. Things were different now. Grizz saw him as someone more than just a celebrity now.

Nom Nom sighed to himself. That title. Celebrity. It was something that now felt like something he was stuck with rather than something he wanted now. 

“Grizz…I think this is it for me," Nom Nom said grimly.

“No, no. Don’t talk like that…" Grizz choked tears welling up on his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean like that. I mean....I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be Nom Nom anymore," The koala admitted. “It doesn’t make me happy. It never did…” He reached forward, grunting with effort and wiped Grizz’s tears away. 

“But what will you do?" Grizz questioned. 

“I’m gonna retire," Nom Nom said plainly. 

“What about your mansion? And all the stuff in it?" Grizz continued. He still couldn’t believe everything he was hearing. 

“I’ll leave it all behind. They don’t mean anything to me now…" Nom Nom answered. Grizz let out a small grunt. 

“Grizz? Are you alright?" Nom Nom asked. 

“No. I’m not. You’re gonna give up everything? You’re a big time celebrity! And you’re gonna give everything up…for me? Some bear…? You’re gonna give it all up and I can’t even help you…" Grizz sniffled, tears running down his muzzle. 

Nom Nom was stunned. “Grizz…" he leaned forward and held Grizz’s face.  
“Grizz. I want to give it all up because I want to be with you. You’re more valuable to me than anything back home. You’re so nice and caring. Not only that but I’m not just Nom Nom the celebrity when I’m with you. I..I feel like an actual person. You’re an amazing bear Grizz and _I’m_ upset that I can’t do anything for you in return," Nom Nom admitted in a shaking breathy voice. 

“The thing you can do for me is get better," Grizz sniffled and smiled gently. Nom Nom smiled as well and leaned close to the bear.

“I think it’s for the best. I saw a news report this morning. My fans…if you can even call them that anymore. They’ve turned on me. They’re hunting for me and some of them want me dead..." Nom Nom could hear Grizz gasp at those words. “It was a good run while it lasted. But I think I’m done.”

“We’ll figure it out," Grizz reassured. “Don’t worry, Nom. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Nom Nom nodded and laid back on the pillows and gave a yawn. Grizz watched as the small mammal slowly drifted back to sleep. Grizz sat close and kept watch over him until he found himself falling asleep as well.


	17. Chapter 17

“You sure you wanna do this, Nom?" Grizz asked with a voice full of concern. 

“I have to, Grizz." Nom Nom said firmly. “So else this is never gonna stop.”

“But the moment they see you they’re gonna rip you apart," Panda warned. 

“Suicide mission," Ice Bear agreed. Nom Nom had made up his mind to put an end to the crazed fan foolishness once and for all. 

“I know!" Nom Nom growled and took a deep breath. “I know. But I gotta do this before it all gets worse than it already has. Don’t worry I gotta plan. I already called Farmer and he’s on his way. As soon as I get back home it’s all gonna be over.”

As if on cue all four bears were treated to a knock at the door. Grizz rushed to the door to take a peak at who it was, an instant wave of relief washing over him as he saw it was indeed Farmer. He opened the door and Nom Nom’s personal guard/assistant stepped inside. 

“Nom Nom sir. I came as quickly as I could. But are you sure this is a good idea?" Farmer asked in an uneasy voice.

“Yes, yes. I’ve heard all this before. We gotta hurry up before they see!" Nom Nom urged, climbing into Farmer’s arms. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Be careful, Nom!" Grizz urged as the two of them quickly darted for Farmer’s car. As quickly as they could, the two sped off down the path forest towards Nom Nom’s mansion. The bears watched until the car disappeared from their sight behind a cloud of thick dirt. 

“I hope he’ll be alright," Panda whimpered as Grizz shut the door. 

“Risky, but good plan," Ice Bear thought aloud. “Might work.” 

“M-might?" Panda gulped. 

“Bros, he’s gonna be just fine!" Grizz said, trying to convince himself as well. His brothers followed behind him as Grizz returned to the couch and turned on the TV. 

“Breaking news! Our undercover reporters have just confirmed the sightings of the hiding internet celebrity, Nom Nom! He was last seen heading down South Street and they have reason to suspect that he is heading back to his mansion. You heard it here first, folks! Tune in to channel 12 where we’ll be live to get an unscripted, uncut interview to hear an explanation from Nom Nom himself!" the reporter spoke. 

“What?!" Grizz cried out, panic flowing through every inch of his body. ”B-but how? Everyone knows now!”

“They’re gonna swarm his mansion!" Panda panicked as well. 

“No way for him to escape," Ice Bear shook his head solemnly.

“I gotta go after him!" Grizz yelled, jumping from the couch and taking off. Before Ice Bear or Panda could get a word in he was already out the door, running as far as his four legs could take him. 

As Farmer ushered Nom Nom towards his mansion the koala was deep in thought. He was considering the future after he did what he planned. What would I do from then on? Would he even have a future anymore? He chuckled at the thought, before he considered being left with nothing a terrible fate. But thinking about it now gave him a feeling of lightness, a feeling of what he could only describe as freedom. Just being able to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He could feel whatever he wanted or didn’t want to feel. He would never have to fake a smile again. If he wanted to frown, he could without the worry of a reputation or a snooping member of the press. The very idea made him sigh and sit back in his seat. _Soon it’ll all be over_ , Nom Nom thought to himself. 

“We’re here, Nom Nom sir." Farmer stated, already unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Good. Let’s just hurry up and get this over with..." Nom Nom took a deep breath and hopped into the arms of Farmer. As Farmer hurried down the pave-way towards the front door of the mansion Nom Nom looked back over his shoulder. Once he did his breath caught in his throat. He could see them. Arriving in hoards. So many of them. Running over one another. He knew that they saw him. There was no way that the gate was gonna hold them back for long. 

“Hurry!" Nom Nom hissed, the only manage word his brain could manage to get out. Farmer understood and made a mad dash to the front doors as quickly as he could. Luckily for him and Nom Nom he planned ahead and unlocked the doors once he got the call. It was a risk in many ways: someone could get in and he was a bit later getting to Nom Nom but still quick nonetheless. He stepped inside and firmly shut the doors, locking them shut as well. 

“I hoped that it wouldn’t have to be this way," Nom Nom sighed, lowering his head.

“Sir, you don’t have to do this..." Farmer frowned. “Maybe there’s another way.”

“No. It has to be this way. We both know this was gonna kill me anyway. Now it’s either them or me," Nom Nom shook his head firmly. 

“But sir…. There’ll be a crowd out there. I know I can’t stop you but…. In front of everyone?" Farmer stammered, hoping to talk his employer out of his decision. 

“Heh. I guess it’ll be the best way to go out," Nom Nom chuckled dryly and turned to his assistant. 

“Farmer, your services will no longer be required. And thanks," Nom Nom said, looking the man in the eyes. 

“It’s been an honor sir," Farmer sniffed and wiped his eyes. “I’ll go out there and buy you some time.”

Nom Nom said nothing, just continuing forward. He knew it was something he had to do, but he didn’t expect it to actually hurt him the way it did. But it was something he had to do. This all had to end today. And after that…. Nom Nom shook his head and reminded himself to focus. He climbed the staircase towards his bedroom. 

Grizz ran as quickly as he could but upon entering the city he saw that he was too late as droves of people were running towards Nom Nom’s mansion. But Grizz pressed on, knowing that he had to continue and help the koala he cared about. Weaving and dashing around crowds of people, he came closer and closer to the mansion. He had to stop outside the mansion’s gate as the huddled mass people were too thick for him to get through. He had to get to Nom Nom, but he didn’t want to hurt anyone either. Looking around and seeing no other way through or around the,, he sighed and attempted to find another way.

Nom Nom had slowly climbed the stairs, a part of him wanting to drag it out as long as he could. As he climbed the last step, Nom Nom took a second to take a deep breath. He took a few more slow steps and gripped the doorknob of his bedroom. He slowly turned it and pushed the door open. Lifting his head, Nom Nom’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Well, hello there! We were starting to think that you would never show up," Nom Nom was frozen in place as there in front of him, in his very room sat the reporter from channel twelve news. Beside her was a man holding a news camera, readying to start filming for the live feed. 

Nom Nom took a deep breath and quickly started to rework his plan in his head. 

Maybe I can use this. Just make all easier on everyone, Nom Nom thought to himself. 

“Well, I’m here now. Is there something you wanted to ask me?" the koala asked in a calm tone, trying his best to keep his breathing steady. 

“We hope you don’t mind, but we found that the door was unlocked so we thought that it would be best to use that time to set up for an interview!" the reporter beamed. 

“Th-that’s great. Because I have a lot to say," Nom Nom nodded and smiled. 

“Wonderful!" the reporter gasped. “This is exactly what we need to get our ratings back on top!”

Typical, Nom Nom scoffed inwardly. 

“I’m glad that I can help. Just tell me what I need to do," Nom Nom smiled warmly once again. 

“All we need you to do is answer our questions. That’ll be all we need," the reporter assured while the man behind the camera was prepping it up to film. 

“Splendid," Nom Nom forced out of his mouth. 

It took a little while for the two of them to set up everything they needed. But Nom Nom was more than ready to tell them all who were watching exactly what he needed to tell them. 

“Alright. We’ll be on and rolling in 3…2…1!" The reporter made a signal and the red light of the camera flashed on. 

Nom Nom took a deep breath and made sure to smile as wide as he could, he figured that he might as well end it off with a good one. 

“We’re here with a live interview with the one and only Nom Nom! That’s right! Finally out of hiding and ready to give us the answers we’ve been waiting for!" the reporter announced to the camera. 

Nom Nom made a small wave to the camera and once again assured himself that it would all be over soon. 

“Now, Nom Nom we all have one burning question that needs to answered first and foremost: Why? Where did you go? And why for so long?" the reporter asked him. 

Nom Nom gripped the seat of the chair he sat in and calmed himself before answering the question.

“I can’t tell you where I’ve been. But I can tell you the reason why I had to hide. It was because of my career," the koala answered truthfully. 

“Your career?" the reporter repeated, clearly expecting a different answer. 

“Yes. Because of my career. The truth. The real truth is that my very career is slowly killing me. It has been for a while. I tried my best to continue for the sake of the fans, but I guess I just don’t have any more left in me. And I want to use this interview to announce that on this day I will be retiring from my career," Nom Nom stated. 

“Retiring?!" the reporter gasped. “But Nom Nom! What about all those around the world who have liked, subscribed and supported you for all these years?”

“Heh. I just want to say to them: Thank you for all the love and support each and every one of them have given me. I truly am grateful for it all. But my decision is final..." Nom Nom nodded firmly. 

“Well, Nom Nom I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we will miss you. What do you plan to do now?”

“I’m just gonna disappear essentially, just take it easy and finally relax from here on out," Nom Nom shrugged. “I think that just about wraps it all up.” He was sure that the reporter had more questions for him to answer, maybe even now then before but he was already out the door of his room. 

“Nom Nom! There you are!" the koala jumped in surprise and looked down his staircase to see Grizz running up at him. 

“Nom… Nom..." Grizz panted, stopping on the top stair in front of the koala. 

“Grizz? How did you get in here?" Nom Nom questioned. 

“I used the back kitchen door. Someone left it unlocked. Don’t worry, I made sure that every other door and window is locked. You sure have a lot of them," Grizz chuckled. “You alright?”

“Yes. Everything’s gonna be fine now. I did it. I made the announcement, on live TV no less," Nom Nom grinned proudly. 

“Wow. So that’s why they’re here?" Grizz asked, pointing at the reporter and cameraman wrapping things up in Nom Nom’s room. 

“Yeah, they’ll be out of here soon," Nom Nom groaned. 

“And what about all of them?" Grizz pointed out the window to the massive hoard of people still standing outside: yelling, cheering and holding signs with Nom Nom’s face on them. 

“Hmmm. Guess they didn’t get the message, huh?" Grizz observed. 

“Yeah, I guess they aren’t near a TV right now," Nom Nom snapped his claws in frustration and looked back up at Grizz. “We have to let them know that it’s over so they can leave already. This has gone on long enough. And I need your help to do it.”

“You can count on me, Nom." Grizz beamed. 

“Thanks, Grizz." Nom Nom smiled. “Hold on a second, I gotta get something first.”

The crowd was still going strong, waiting for Nom Nom to show himself. 

“Hey, look up there!” a woman in the crowd called, looking upwards. More heads looked up as well to see Grizz perching Nom Nom on his shoulder. In his paw the koala held a megaphone. Taking a deep breath and clicking the megaphone on. 

“People! Listen up! I’m really glad that you’re all here to see me!" Nom Nom called to the crowd below. 

“We love you, Nom Nom!" A man in the crowd yelled. Others joined in to cheer for their favorite celebrity. Nom Nom couldn’t help but smile at what he saw. Even after the things he had heard and seen on the news, all these people still came out here to see him. They still loved him in a way. Sure it was not the same kind of love he had for his new friends Panda and Ice Bear and nowhere near the love he felt for Grizz. He had seen large crowds of people shouting his name many times before, something about this moment really touched him. A warm feeling spread through him and he became even more determined to continue his message. 

“I love you, too… And that’s why I have to tell you all… From this day forward I will be retiring," once those words left Nom Nom’s mouth the crowd below fell quite. It surprised Nom Nom; he expected more, he wasn’t sure how much more, emotions from the crowd. A part of him expected the crowd to make noises of disappointment or even sadness and another part of him expected the crowd to even boo and jeer at him. But they didn’t…. They just stood, looking up at him, most likely wondering what he was going to say next. 

“I know that you all want me to continue. To keep making content for you guys. But I just can’t do that anymore… I know that you all love what I do and I know that I make you guys happy. But I have to take time for myself so I can be happy, too." Nom Nom admitted. “I’ll never forget the day my first video hit a million views… I just want to thank each and every one of you. I know I may have never said this but I love you guys..”

The silence continued throughout the crowd that in itself was deafening. Nom Nom felt a spike of fear push itself into the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what to do or even what to say. 

Then in the crowd a small clap was heard. It started off a one, then another joined in, along with another until just about the whole crowd below him was clapping a cheering in support of the koala. Nom Nom smiled again and looked down at Grizz who was smiling as well. 

“That went well," Grizz chuckled, lowering Nom Nom down. The two bears made their way back into the attic with the sounds of claps and voices raised in support in the background. The news crew had left and Nom Nom returned to his bedroom. He looked around it and sighed. 

“You alright, Nom?" Grizz asked as he followed into the room. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I just still need to process the fact that it’s over," Nom Nom turned to Grizz with a smile once again on his face. “Good thing that went well, huh?”

Grizz nodded as well and looked around the room. The large bed, many awards adorned on the walls and in cases lined side by side. “What are you gonna do with all of this?”

“I’ll just keep it all here. I mean, retirement or not, it’s still my place," Nom Nom chuckled. “But, I think I just wanna go back home..”

“Home?" Grizz blinked in confusion, turning back to the smaller bear. 

Nom Nom blinked as well and blushed, rubbing the back of his ear in embarrassment. “Oh, I…. I meant the cave. I wanna go back to the cave.”

“Oh, alright." Grizz chuckled. He leaned down and smiled as he lifted Nom Nom up. Nom Nom couldn’t help but blush once again as he held tight onto the Grizzly. As they neared the front doors Nom Nom knew they would have to get through the crowd, but Nom Nom wasn’t worried at all. Holding close to the bear made him feel warm and safe. He knew that he had nothing to worry about as long as he was with Grizz.


	18. Chapter 18

Nom Nom sat comfortably, pressing close to Grizz’s side. In the living room sat all the bears eagerly waiting through the commercial break to see how their new favorite reality tv show’s season finale would conclude. They had endured an entire season of getting to know each and every one of the characters and now one of them would be voted off, never to return to the show again. 

“Who do you think it’ll be?" Panda asked nervously. 

“Ice Bear hopes it isn’t Janelle.." the polar bear wished. 

“Or Christina either," Panda gulped. “But she cost her team the lead and they were all really mad at her.”

Nom Nom nodded in agreement. “What Tiffany said was pretty harsh. But there’s no way she’ll get kicked off. She’s the most popular character and got the rest of the team wrapped around her finger.”

“She’s the worst," Grizz agreed. “But I still l like her, though.”

Both Grizz and Panda couldn’t help but chuckle at the grizzly’s words. They all felt the same way, somehow cheering on someone who did nothing but scheme and step over others. A part of them wanted her to be kicked off right when the show returned but even Ice Bear could agree that a part of them wanted to see how far her plans could take her. 

”But Scott really let her have it; told her exactly what she needed to hear," Nom Nom grinned. “And boy was she mad.”

“It’s back!" Panda called, everyone’s attention was once again on the screen. 

“And now it’s time to see which one of our contestants will be voted off and sent packing back home," the host of the show announced. 

“Aw man, who’s it gonna be?" Panda whimpered, inching closer to the edge of the couch. 

“Each and every one of our contestants have put in their vote and now it’s time to tally up the scores and see who gets the boot," the host continued.

The scene changed to show all the ten remaining gathered around to hear the results of the ballot.

“Now today’s events have been crazy with a capital ‘C’! The red team has had a solid lead for quite some time but now the tables have turned and the blue team is firmly on top.” Upon the host saying that many on the red team shot Christina a dirty look. 

“But now it’s time to tally the results," the host smiled as he was handed a pink envelope from one of the crew. 

“And now the one that will be sent home, never to return again is…" the host paused dramatically. Each of the bears held their breath in anticipation.

The host opened the envelope and a shocked look came upon his face. “The one being sent home is…Scott!”

“What?!" Nom Nom shouted at the screen in front of him. “What did he do?”

“It gotta admit, folks. Even I didn’t see this coming," the host admitted, looking directly at the crowd. “Why, of all people, Scott?”

The scene changed to reveal a confession from none other than Tiffany. “Did they really think I would let Scott get away with speaking to me like that? It took a bit of doing, but I convinced everyone else on the red team to let Christina off with a warning and take out Scott instead. Hmph. He was a weak link anyway.”

“Who does she think she is?" Panda huffed. 

“Invincible," Ice Bear answered. 

“They’ll really just do anything she says, huh?" Nom Nom fumed. 

“And that’s the end of it. We’ll miss ya Scott, but that’s the way it goes," the host shrugged. 

“That’s it?" Nom Nom still couldn’t believe the events that unfolded before his eyes.

“I guess so..." Grizz sighed. “Sorry, Nom.”

“Don’t worry about it, Grizz. There is a bright side, that’s one less person for Tiffany to manipulate," Nom Nom figured. 

“That’s true. And that means Christina lives another week," Panda sighed in relief. 

“Will be a while before next season," Ice Bear pointed out. It was late and that gave each of the bears a whole night to come up with ideas on what they could watch now. 

As Ice Bear and Panda retired to their respective rooms for the night Grizz and Nom Nom settled into their shared room. 

“Comfortable?" Grizz playfully asked the koala resting on his belly. 

“Very," Nom Nom said as he lay across the soft fur of the grizzly. A smile was on Nom Nom’s face and his eyes were closed in contentment. 

“Good, me too." Grizz after he had reached to turn the lamp off. The room was quite, dimly lit by the moonlight filtered through the dimly lit curtain. The steady breathing of both the mammals were all that was heard. Grizz opened his eyes as he felt Nom Nom shifting from atop of him. He opened his eyes only to be met with Nom Nom’s. Before Grizz could ask anything Nom Nom leaned forward and planted a kiss on the bear’s nose. 

“Heh, you could use a bath," Nom Nom chuckled, watching Grizz blink in surprise.

“Hmph. We can worry about that in the morning," Grizz said, closing his tired eyes once again. Before the grizzly bear could even close his eyes again Nom Nom was tapping on his shoulder. “Hmm?”

“You forgot something," Nom Nom yawned, spreading his arms out. 

“Oh, right. Sorry," Grizz pulled Nom Nom in close, hugging him snugly to his chest. Nom Nom sighed happily, drifting off to sleep with Grizz.


End file.
